Oscar and Lucinda

Last night I watched the film 'Oscar and Lucinda' (1997) directed by Gillian Armstrong. Set in the middle of the 19th century, it's the story of Oscar (Ralph Fiennes) the son of strict Plymouth Brethren parents and Lucinda (Cate Blanchett) an independent-minded Australian entrepreneur.

When attending Oxford reading theology, Oscar is introduced to the joys of gambling, specifically horse-racing. Frequently lucky and believing himself to be inspired by divine providence, the bumbling and socially-inept Oscar persists in donating his winnings to the poor. Meanwhile Lucinda discovers a passion for glass and purchases a Glass-works with an inheritance. Oscar and Lucinda first meet aboard a ship bound for Australia. The pretext for their meeting is ostensibly for the purpose for Lucinda's confessional, Oscar having recently been ordained and emigrating. The pair soon become friends with a shared passion for card-playing. Oscar's justification for gambling is that of the famous wager of Pascal which argues that all Christians are gambling their souls in hope of God's existence, love and redemption.

Without wanting to post spoilers, the crux of the romantic drama concerns a wager between Oscar and Lucinda of their respective inheritances, that Oscar can transport a glass Church from Sydney to Bellingen on the North-west coast of New South Wales, a journey which involves the crossing of no less than six rivers and hazardous terrain.

Based upon the Peter Carey novel which won the 1988 Booker prize, 'Oscar and Lucinda' is a film which established Cate Blanchett's acting career. The other notable star of this film is, as with 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' (Dir. Peter Weir 1975), the stunning Australian scenery. 'Oscar and Lucinda' also highlights the basic living conditions of the early Australian colonists.

The residue of Protestant ethics continues to associate gambling as a sin, even among those whose morality is no longer determined by Christian ethics whatsoever. This is primarily due to the fact that during the 18th century a day at the races spent gambling was viewed as a threat to the established social order. A Lord attending Newmarket races could by the day's end be a pauper and a pauper could acquire the wealth equivalent to a Lord. Primarily for this reason alone, the notion of acquiring wealth without industriousness, circumventing the Protestant work-ethic, preachers railed from the pulpit against the 'sin' of gambling. And to be fair, there is a scene in the film which highlights the very worst consequence of ruination from gambling, namely, suicide. However, as Oscar fully realises, many aspects of life and love are in fact far from being certainties, but very uncertain gambles in most lives.

At the present time of writing the author Peter Carey, who has won the Booker prize twice, is priced at 5-1 to win the Booker again, with the Greek-Australian Christos Tsiolkas, author of 'The Slap', priced at a 9-1. Personally, I'm considering having a small bet that Carey wins the Booker Prize for an unprecedented third time. Just don't put your shirt on it !

Canoeing on the River Bure

Upper reaches of the River Bure

Yesterday I had a pleasurable afternoon canoeing with my mate Nigel upon the upper reaches of the River Bure, approximately ten miles north of Norwich. A real stress-busting day, thanks Nigel.

I thought I had finished with posts on birds until we disturbed a heron lurking by the river-bank. It flew past us flapping its giant wings like some antediluvian terradactyl!

Norwich-over-the-water

Anchor Quay and Saint Miles Bridge

The re-development of Norwich-over-the-water during the past 10 to 15 years has resulted in the transformation of a run-down and near derelict area of the City into a highly desirable residential location.

Standing on Saint Miles bridge looking north-west towards New Mills.

The Enemy of the Good

Everyone wants to change humanity but no-one wants to change himself. - Leo Tolstoy

Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.- Pascal (frontispiece quotations)

I recently read a novel by Michael Arditti entitled 'The Enemy of the Good' (2009). In essence it's a novel which highlights the on-going conflict between liberalism and fundamentalism and to a lesser extent, the relationship between art and religion.

The central characters are the Granville family who consist of Edwin, a retired Bishop who no longer believes in God, but continues to believe in the idea of God and the institution of the Church; his wife Marta, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto and a distinguished anthropologist, and their two children Susannah and Clement.

Novels which debate upon contentious issues such as religious faith are few and far between these days. Ever since the scandalous debacle which followed in the wake of Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' (1988) the battle-lines have been drawn up between adherents of liberalism and fundamentalism, resulting in artists being wary of, and fearing to offend the wrath of religious sensibilities; indeed it's with some trepidation that I myself attempt to discuss a subject which arouses stronger than ever feelings amongst some.

The beliefs of the Granville grown-up children Clement and Susannah are central to the novel . Clement, a gay artist with HIV, retains his progressive Christian faith whilst finding himself increasingly embroiled in controversy, hatred and suffering for his liberal views. His sister Susannah discovers her true spiritual identity by embracing the ultra-orthodox faith of Hasidic Judaism. These two siblings find it increasingly difficult to accept each others beliefs, as their relationship deteriorates, the view-points of liberalism and fundamentalism are clearly delineated in their spiritual and intellectual conflict. Articulating lines such as-

'Sex is one of God's greatest gifts to us. To reject it in favour of bloodless chastity is in a very real sense to reject God', and 'Fundamentalists don't think: they bray, they parrot' uttered by the gay artist Clement, clearly display which side of the fence his character represents, while his sister-in-law Carla, the widow of Clement's twin brother, unambiguously states-

'for people with no inner life, sexuality has become the all-important measure of authenticity'.

In this novel the author Michael Arditti has written a realistic portrait of religious faith in Britain today. It's a thought-provoking, lively, at times amusing, more often tragic, tale of a conflict which continues to grow in ferocity. I particularly liked Clement's astute statement upon how the all-pervasive internet has, and continues to erode aesthetic judgement -

'Memory lies at the heart of what it is to be human. In fact I'd go further: it's the reason we both need and respond to art. It's the part of our brain that creates and shapes narratives, that filters images, that draws analogies and chucks away inessentials.... Can it be an accident that, at a time when we're trusting less and less to our memories, we're growing less and less discriminating about art? We may have a world of information at our fingertips, but we've got fewer and fewer ways to assess it'.

Arditti's novel has received numerous glowing reviews far more articulate than anything I can write; the author Philip Pullman (b.1946, Norwich) for example stated of this novel -

' The Enemy of the Good' is a vivid picture of the religious life as it's lived among the conflicts and compromises of modern Britain. Michael Arditti has extended and deepened the vision that made (his) Easter so interesting, and he must be our best chronicler of the rewards and pitfalls of present day faith'.

I recommend 'The Enemy of the Good' to anyone who is interested in acquiring a greater understanding of the complex issues arising from the conflict between liberalism and fundamentalism today, albeit in the form of an entertaining and extremely well-written work of fiction.

In an age which remains obsessed with nationalism, despite two world wars which devastated Europe, I also recommend Arditti's short statement upon a vision of a united Europe.

Glorious Goodwood

Time to enjoy summer on the Sussex Downs for the 5 days of the Glorious Goodwood meeting; awash with strawberries and cream, Pimms, Panama hats, classy fashion and of course, classy thoroughbred horses, at what must be the most scenic of all British race-courses. Sadly, I'm only there in spirit this year, following the meeting on TV.